Era

21

"How long have I been out."

"You've been drifting in and out for the past few days, but this is the first time you've been conscious enough to talk."

Shouta huffed, resisting the urge to pick at his bandages, if only because he knew Hizashi would scold him for it. "And when will I be discharged?"

"Shou..." Ah, it looked like he wasn't going to avoid that scolding after all. Shouta cut him off hastily.

"It's a logical question."

"This isn't a training accident, you were really hurt—"

"All the more reason to get a timetable for my recovery."

"Shouta—"

"I have a job. Two of them, actually. What, would you trust All Might to teach your homeroom class—"

"I thought you were gonna die," Hizashi whispered, hands balled up in the blanket he was sitting on and eyes fixed on the blank wall in front of him, refusing to look down at Shouta where he lay.

"I didn't," said Shouta with a faltering conviction. The memory of shattered bones twisted through his arm, and when he closed his eyes all he could see was the dead-eyed Noumu looming over him. The skin at his elbow flaking away to nothing. Vision filling with crimson as he desperately tried to keep his gaze on Shigaraki, to keep him from harming one of his students. The crushing dread of his failure that sent him hurtling into unconsciousness. "I'm still alive, so there's nothing to worry about. I'll be fine—"

"But you weren't fine!" Hizashi's voice began to tremble, a telltale sign of his quirk about to jump free, and Shouta instinctively prepared himself to erase it before slamming the impulse down. As if he could tell, Hizashi reined in his voice on his own with a few shuddering breaths. "Shou, it was... it was bad. I never want to see that again."

"We're heroes. It's an occupational hazard." Immediately he knew it was the wrong thing to say, his eyes darting to the side to avoid Hizashi's pained glare.

"That's not what I want to hear, and you know it. Just... I know I can't make you promise it won't happen again."

Shouta bristled as much as the bandages would allow. "My students were in danger, I had to—"

"I get it, Shou, I really do. I know we have dangerous jobs and I know that it wasn't your fault. I'm... I'm really proud of you, for doing that. I'm angry as all hell, but proud. And I know you'd do it again in a heartbeat, and I can't blame you for that. I knew what I was getting into, but..." Hizashi sighed, running a hand through his hair and pulling more errant strands from the already loose bun. "That doesn't mean you can't take care of yourself."

"I have to—"

"I know you're a workaholic. I have three jobs, Shou, I know what it's like to be stuck doing nothing, feeling like you're gonna explode if you don't get something done right now, immediately, this second." Another sigh, and Hizashi looked down at him with a watery smile. "They said a couple weeks. With Chiyo's help, they can shave it down to one. But if you want to do that then you have to rest, okay?"

Shouta huffed, moving to turn onto his side before a sharp twinge of pain in his ribs reminded him why that was a bad idea. Groaning, Hizashi placed his head in his hands.

"I'm serious, Shou. You know how her quirk works, I know you're not an idiot. Even if you insist on acting like one sometimes," he said, not quite muttering the last part under his breath. Shouta began to roll his eyes and remembered why he shouldn't do that either.